Despite being new, this dining hall is very similar to the one back at old Atricis, giving a familiarity to the new Weyr. It is one large, central cavern carved out from the side of the cliff with many tables of varying sizes and seat numbers. The kitchens are attached, and there is a set of stairs leading down into the lower caverns.

There was no telling what the night would bring. Saibra, for all her interest in new handlers, certainly would never have anticipated it would turn out the way it would. When she stepped into the dining hall, she wanted nothing more than to grab some klah, a plate, and a private corner to sit and do some reading. It was wet and rainy out, perfect weather to sit inside by the fire with a warm meal and a book in hand. She would have remained in her den for the evening if not for the call of her stomach, but there were still drills to perform and duties to tend to, and after taking care of everything and her wher, she made sure Sarsk was settled in before seeing to her own needs.

Except nothing was going quite as planned. She got her klah, which was perfect, but when she went to get her food, she noticed a new face among the handler crew. She would have noticed a pretty face like that before, anyone would, man or woman. When she felt for Sarsk, hoping he might be able to help, memory struck and she knew who it was - the brown's new handler. And if she remembered right... it was a bond that was so fresh, made only by trauma. She winced and decided that her plans were going to have to change for the evening. She wasn't going to be sitting by herself, and she certainly wasn't going to be eating much, given how her stomach was suddenly clenching from something, whether it was guilt or the remembrance of sorrow over a lost comrade.

Taking a tray regardless, knowing Lady of the Rose could eat whatever she happened to not touch, she carried it all over to Mahina's table and smiled when she reached it. "Hey, you're Mahsk's handler, yes?" She shifted her tray and set it down before an objection could be made, then thrust her hand out for a friendly shake and smiled. "Saibra, bronze Sarsk's handler. Wanted to formally introduce myself since we haven't had much of a chance to say hello, given how much you've had to do since your arrival. Are you settling in okay?" She had a feeling what the response would be, and she slid into a seat before Mahina could respond, prepared for whatever length of answer the other woman happened to give.

Mahina was lost in her own thoughts and memories as she sat nibbling on a chunk of dried fruit. There was so much to remember and learn about being a handler that some times Mahina wondered if she could handle being Mahsk' partner. She adored the brute of a brown but this wasn't the path she had wanted for her life. Careful to keep her thoughts from the new partner in her mind, Mahina wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. So when a voice sounded off beside her, Mahina felt her rear leave her wooden seat. Turning guilty eyes towards her new companion, Mahina was barely able to stutter out a reply that almost sounded like something positive. A reflexive action had Mahina reaching up to shake the offered hand before the new handler realized what she was doing.

It took Mahina several moments to realize that Saibra had intended to share the meal with her. She was so lost in this new train of thought that Mahina missed the question that the bronze handler had posed. "Umm," Mahina stuttered again before her manners clicked into place in her foggy mind. "Oh! I'm Mahina, apprentice... I mean brown Mahsk's handler!" She returned as her thoughts caught up to the situation. "I... I'm kinda lost actually... There's just so much..." Mahina's words trailed off as she realized what exactly she was admitting to. "What I mean is... Well... It's all new. There's all of Mahsk's instincts and memories, lessons and training-drills.... How did you manage it?" Mahina knew she was rambling but with her over-loaded mind there wasn't any filter in place between her thoughts and her lips. "Is it always such a shock?" Mahina asked with her voice hitching behind a soft sob.

There was a moment when Saibra didn't know what to say to the other woman. After all, she hadn't gone through the same bonding process that Mahina was presently dealing with. Her own had been relatively simple, or as simple as having your mind joined to another creature's could be - right from the start, fresh out of the shell. There'd been no twisting of the memories, no sudden need to learn what the wher already knew, the need to get familiar with their already ingrained instincts wasn't there. She'd been able to come to a slow boil whereas Mahina had been thrown straight into the pot. In a way she felt pity for the other woman, but at the same time, she was glad that Mahsk hadn't been lost, and she wans't sure if she should feel bad for thinking that way, or if she should be okay that it had even crossed her thoughts.

So how was she going to do it? Straight up truth, or hedge around the edges and make something up? It clicked in her mind that she could do the former and just be gentle about it, especially when Mahina began to sob. "Come on, no need for tears. It will be okay, I promise. I don't know when, I'm not going to lie, because I didn't go through all of what you did. I bonded my Sarsk when he was just a hatchling - the egg was rolled out to me and he fell more or less into my lap. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of a shock you're going through right now, but what I can offer is to try and help you with some of these things, knowing what I've learned over the Turns I've been with him, few though there have been. I'll just do my best, and what I don't know, I'll refer you to someone else who will know. Does that sound good to you?"

It was a slow process but eventually Mahina's mind caught up to what her lips were saying. Lifting one hand to scrub roughly at the wetness on her cheeks, the brown handler hoped that she hadn't scared the bronze handler away. The brunette knew it wasn't the other woman's fault that her world had been shifted so quickly, nor was it the other woman's responsibility to help Mahina cure her problems. Thinking on what her uncles would say about her wet cheeks, Mahina sniffled a bit before the other woman's voice caught her attention again. Confusion pulled at the girl's face as she tried to follow along with the other woman.

What Saibra was saying made sense. Really there was no one around who knew exactly what Mahina was going through. Even those who had bonded twice had a different experience from what the brown eyed girl understood. What really stuck in Mahina's mind though was the offer of help. Blinking her brown eyes, Mahina cleared her throat against the knot still lodged there. "Th-that would be a big help... Everyone's been nice but they're all so busy. I don't think we've had the same teachers more than two days... nights... in a row," Mahina flushed slightly at her stumbled choice of words. "It's odd. I was a beast-crafter before this. Always up with the sun Pa said.... Now? Now, I don't think I've seen an hour of sunlight since that night," She rambled on hoping that the other handler understood. "I love that brute but I miss it, you know? The warmth of the sun?"

Saibra smiled softly and nodded, understanding in a way. She had felt that way at first herself, during her days on the run. It was different now. She had her freedoms. She would reassure the girl that this wouldn't last forever. "The good news is that eventually, he'll be strong enough again that you'll be able to spend short spurts out in the sun. You'll be strong enough that going out during the day won't be such a chore. I get to spend some time outside during the day, though its a rare treat, and I generally cherish those moments, so when they do reach you in the Turns to come, make sure you hold onto them like a vice."

She started to think about all the things that would need to be discussed with her. She was getting some training, yes, but Saibra could help supplement it with what she knew. It would help the girl immensely, make it easier to get through her days knowing there was someone out there to help her along, mentor her in other words. "First, why don't we finish our meal and any pressing questions and concerns you might have that haven't been answered or resolved yet. Then we'll go check on Mahsk, tend to him and his needs. After that, we'll go over a few other things. Does that sound good to you?"

Soaking up the other woman's advice, Mahina did her best to wipe away the water clinging to her lashes. While she hadn't broken down into tears the evidence of her strained emotions were clear in her brown eyes. How did someone expect to make it through such changes in life? It wasn't like the beast-crafter girl expected to bond with a wher. At least not until she had a few lessons under her belt. In fact the young woman had just begun to entertain the idea of having a wher-partner like her uncle when their worlds collided.

Mahina hadn't meant to break down in the middle of the dining hall. She normally was strong enough to keep such things private and hidden in her room but even that wasn't private any more. Taking in a deep shuddering breath, the new handler tried to calm her run away thoughts. It wouldn't do for Mahsk to wake and feel the turmoil that was her thoughts. Once those ideas trickled into her mind, Mahina felt her own emotions settle. While she was still a bit uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the whole situation, the brunette felt better for having let some of her doubts known.

When Saibra spoke up again, Mahina had to stop her own thoughts to concentrate on the other woman. Blinking at the mention of food, Mahina glanced down to see the familiar comfort food in front of her. A small smile tugged at her lips as more pleasant memories trickled across her mind then. It took the young woman a few more heartbeats to focus again on Saibra's suggestions but when Mahina finally did the younger woman flashed the bronze handler a grateful smile. "I'd like that. I still don't know if I'm dressing his wounds right. He's quite a bit bigger than the beasts I've handled before," Mahina admitted as she reached down for another chunk of fruit. "Are they always so large? Males I mean," She asked before she bit into the dried treat.

"Actually, all whers are generally large. Have you met many from the guard yet?" She pulled apart her bread and held a chunk of it loosely in her fingers. She wondered just how much the girl had been introduced to since arriving, and decided not to build up too much of an opinion until she had more information from her. "I'll show you my own wher when we get outside, and introduce you to a couple of the females as well. We don't have very many of the larger ones, and we certainly don't have any of the largest - the golds or andualisites. But those are generally the largest of the pack and tower over even the males." She had never seen a gold up close, wasn't even sure if she ever would. When was the last time Atricis had even had one in its pack? When it had still been in the north? Something like that, if she remembered records right.

Mahina listened as carefully as she could to the words of the female handler. While it made sense that the dominate ladies were the largest of a pack, Mahina still had troubles picturing anything truly larger than her Mahsk. Her face scrunched up as she tried to come up with a mental image of a queen wher. She knew that the Gold dragons were the largest, she had seen them a few times in the skies but a wher would be a different sight to see.

When Saibra paused for a moment the new handler tried to fill the silence with another question but for the moment her mind was stuck on the images of a golden giant Mahsk. A snort of a giggle left the former beast crafter as she tried to suppress her laughter. "Sorry!" She mumbled quickly as she realized what she had done. "I had the mental image of a larger Mahsk with a golden tone.... Not exactly the best image.... I'm having trouble coming up with a new question," Mahina admitted with another soft giggle and a flush on her cheeks. "Do you see it too?" She asked as fished out another bite off her plate.

Saibra gave herself a moment, as she tried to picture a larger Mahsk. Same coloration, just a bigger size. Truth be told, it wasn't impossible for her, but maybe that had to do with the fact that her own wher was a pretty impressive size as it was. Then again, if she wasn't mistaken... "You know, I believe our boys are the same size, or just about. twenty-five feet for Mashsk as well, nose to tail?" She finished off her food and brushed her hands off on her pants. Maybe he wasn't the largest bronze, that honor fell upon Inggharusk, but she was pretty proud of her gent all the same. "I think it's a little easier for me to picture them larger because I've been with them for longer. Someday it won't be that difficult for you to do either. You'll find it easy. You'll find it easy to picture them teeny as well. You'll even get images of Mahsk as a baby at times, I'm sure. I get them from Sarsk." Granted, she'd been with him from the start, but... "I hear stories from older handlers, those that have been with whers bonded from old bonds. They share images from old times. You just need to give it time, Mahina. Don't expect too much at once. Eventually, it'll come to you. You're new to this, but it'll come to you."

Mahina had to pause and think when the bronze handler asked about Mahsk's size. A small furrow formed between her brows as she tried to remember if the other lady was right. It took a few heartbeats but the younger woman nodded with a smile. "Yeah, that sounds about right," Mahina added glad that she had something in common with Saibra. Latching onto that small happy thought, the brunette almost missed the advice Saibra had for her. Sobering a bit, Mahina felt along the bond to her brown partner. "We've shared some memories of my uncle," Mahina admitted with a sad sort of smile coming to her face. "I didn't know him very long," She added not knowing if Saibra knew the man or not.

"Memories are good right? It means that the bond is growing closer?" She asked realizing that the thought of a stronger bond with the wher was something that she was half-looking forward to.